Control volume, media playback (for example: Amazon Music, Audible, TuneIn, iHeartRadio), as well as manage timers and alarms using the Amazon Alexa app.

Get the latest scores and schedules for your favorite sports teams.

Q: Which smart home devices are supported by AVS-enabled products?

AVS customers can now control supported Wink, SmartThings and Insteon enabled devices. For a list of supported products, see Alexa Smart Home. For information about building your own skill, see Smart Home Skill API.

International

Q: Do AVS features vary by region?

Yes. AVS offers language and region-specific services to developers. See a high-level feature matrix on the AVS for International page.

Q: Do you have sample code available that demonstrates support for localization?

Q: What happens when an end user travels to an unsupported region with an AVS device registered in the UK, Germany, India, Japan, or US?

Once an end user has registered their product in a supported country or region, the device will work in any unsupported region. However, the device will only be able to access localized content from where the device is registered.

Q: Are languages restricted by endpoint?

No. US English, UK English, and German are available on both US and EU AVS endpoints.

Q: Should users located outside of supported locales be allowed to use the service?

No, partners should implement logic in their OOBE to enforce supported locale restrictions. Further, the Amazon Alexa mobile application is not available for download in unsupported regions.

Cloud-Based Wake Word Verification

Q: What is a false wake?

A false wake is any utterance that unintentionally wakes an AVS product.
&nbps;&nbps;&nbps;&nbps;&nbps;&nbps;

Q: What is the customer experience after Cloud-Based Wake Word Verification is implemented?

Customers will see the device initially light up. However, when it is determined to be a false wake, the StopCapture directive instructs the device to close the audio stream and turn off the blue light immediately.

SiriusXM

Q: What audio format do I need to support to enable SiriusXM on my device?

To enable SiriusXM, your product must support the following audio format:

Yes, you will need to submit your device for certification to SiriusXM. Contact your Amazon representative for certification support or submit a request for certification here.

Q: Are all SiriusXM subscriptions available for streaming through Amazon Alexa?

No. Not all SiriusXM subscription packages allow for internet streaming. As of June 2017, streaming on Alexa is supported for the following packages:

SiriusXM All Access trial or paid subscription

SiriusXM subscriptions with streaming add-on

SiriusXM Internet Radio subscriptions

Display Cards

Q: Do I need to render all the JSON data received?

You must render all the JSON data in line with the UX Design Guidelines and templates. This will ensure a consistent user experience across all Alexa products.

Q: Do I have to render every supported Display Card on my AVS product?

We encourage screen-based AVS products to render all available Display Cards, but you are not required to do so.

Q: Should I implement Display Cards even if my product doesn’t support music?

Even if your product doesn’t support music, there are other Display Card options for screen-based AVS products like to-do list, shopping list, calendar, Q&A and weather. These cards enhance the overall Alexa experience of your product and add more context to the responses.

Q: What are the screen types supported by Display Cards?

We have published the UX Design Guidelines and templates for TVs and tablets. Between these two screen types, you can cover a wide gamut of use-cases for different screen sizes and user interactions.

Q: If I build Display Cards and render them on my AVS product, will they appear in the Amazon Alexa App?

The Display Cards that you build for your AVS product will not appear in the Alexa app. However, the Alexa app will render similar data in a visual card that is optimized for the Alexa app.

Q: Will the updates to the API, template, or JSON payload be backwards compatible?

The API itself is versioned, and any template, JSON payload or data updates will be backwards compatible. We will be updating Display Cards for Alexa to support new domains, card templates, and additional data over time. When we do, we will update our documentation and communicate changes to you through appropriate channels. While we encourage you to take advantage of new capabilities, you won’t necessarily need to make changes to your device software as Amazon makes updates.

AVS Device SDK

Q: What are the services and functionalities made available to developers with the SDK?

The AVS Device SDK provides a C++ (11 or later) interface for the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) that allows developers to add intelligent voice control to connected products. It is modular and abstracted, providing components to handle discrete functionality such as speech capture, audio processing, and communications, with each component exposing APIs that you can use and customize for your integration. It also includes a sample app, which demonstrates interactions with the Alexa Voice Service (AVS).

The updates to the AVS Device SDK will be published to the AVS developer portal and GitHub. Developers registered with the AVS developer portal will be notified about the SDK updates via email. The SDK documentation includes release notes with detailed information on new features and bug fixes and the best way to incorporate them into AVS products or projects.

Q: How does the SDK enable me to use new AVS features as they roll out?

AVS SDK will provide source code to implement current and new AVS features. Developers can use the source code as is, or modify it to fit their product needs.

Q: Who is the AVS Device SDK meant for?

The AVS Device SDK is meant for all commercial device makers looking to integrate Alexa into their connected products. This C++-based SDK is designed for Linux- and macOS-based systems, however the source can be cross-compiled easily to other platforms.

Q: Is it mandatory for an AVS developer to use the entire SDK to develop device software?

It is not mandatory to use the entire SDK to develop device software. We understand that you have existing software architectures for your device that need to coexist with the Alexa integration. The AVS Device SDK is designed in a way that you can either use it in entirety or use the modules that you need for your product.

Q: Will SDK include support for 3P Wake Word engines such as Sensory and Kitt.ai?

Yes. The AVS Device SDK provides the necessary abstractions to make it easy to use any licensed wake word engine, including the ones from Sensory and Kitt.ai.

Q: Will SDK include support for 3P Audio Front Ends such as Conexant and Sensory?

Yes. The AVS Device SDK provides the necessary abstractions to make it easy to use any Audio Front End, including the ones from Conexant and Sensory.

Q: What are the targeted Linux and C++ frameworks for the AVS Device SDK? How is portability built in to the SDK?

The AVS Device SDK uses C++ 11 and supports all generic Linux distributions. The SDK’s use of C++ 11 is the primary enabler for portability to different platforms. Additionally, the SDK provides an abstracted transport layer to ease the porting to different libraries. The Capability Agent API abstracts the platform-specific code from the SDK (e.g. audio player). All modules will have documented APIs which ease the replacement of these components with custom implementations.